Tuesday, November 28, 2006
book report: Codex
Codex
by Lev Grossman
I loved this book! It's about an investment banker who is about to start a new position in London, but in the meantime takes what he thinks will be a quick consulting job for a client. It turns out to be not so quick and also not so financial, as he discovers that his client(s) have a large collection of very old books that they wish for him to catalog. They are seeking a particular medieval codex which may or may not even exist. While trying to come up with any information at all about the codex and its author, Ed the banker meets Margaret the literary scholar. She gets sucked into his story even though she believes that the codex doesn't exist. The mystery develops multiple layers as Edward plays an addictive videogame that seems to be related to the mysterious codex; Margaret becomes involved in the search; it's revealed that the duke and duchess who are Edward's clients are actually working against each other, and so on.
I really enjoyed the story because it was both exciting and smart. I hope Grossman writes another novel soon. Although I suppose his day job is kind of excellent, reviewing books for Time Magazine and all.
by Lev Grossman
I loved this book! It's about an investment banker who is about to start a new position in London, but in the meantime takes what he thinks will be a quick consulting job for a client. It turns out to be not so quick and also not so financial, as he discovers that his client(s) have a large collection of very old books that they wish for him to catalog. They are seeking a particular medieval codex which may or may not even exist. While trying to come up with any information at all about the codex and its author, Ed the banker meets Margaret the literary scholar. She gets sucked into his story even though she believes that the codex doesn't exist. The mystery develops multiple layers as Edward plays an addictive videogame that seems to be related to the mysterious codex; Margaret becomes involved in the search; it's revealed that the duke and duchess who are Edward's clients are actually working against each other, and so on.
I really enjoyed the story because it was both exciting and smart. I hope Grossman writes another novel soon. Although I suppose his day job is kind of excellent, reviewing books for Time Magazine and all.
Labels: book reports, mysteries
Saturday, September 23, 2006
book report: Deja Dead
Deja Dead
by Kathy Reichs
I love the TV show "Bones" and decided to read the series of books on which the show is based. "Deja Dead" is the only one I've read so far. I was put off at first by the noticeable differences between the characters in the book and the characters on the TV show - but once I managed to stop thinking of the main character, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, as the same person from the show, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I know some people find these books boring because of all the forensic detail that Reichs includes, but I liked that and found it interesting. Also, the plotline in this book was *way* more exciting than anything from the TV show. Interestingly, the Bones character has been made younger and actually weirder for the television show. In the book, she is in her 40s, separated from her husband, with a teenage daughter off at college. In the TV show, she is in her 30s, never married with no kids, and quite socially awkward. Interesting choice.
Anyway, I will most likely read the rest of this series next summer, when school is not in session!
by Kathy Reichs
I love the TV show "Bones" and decided to read the series of books on which the show is based. "Deja Dead" is the only one I've read so far. I was put off at first by the noticeable differences between the characters in the book and the characters on the TV show - but once I managed to stop thinking of the main character, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, as the same person from the show, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I know some people find these books boring because of all the forensic detail that Reichs includes, but I liked that and found it interesting. Also, the plotline in this book was *way* more exciting than anything from the TV show. Interestingly, the Bones character has been made younger and actually weirder for the television show. In the book, she is in her 40s, separated from her husband, with a teenage daughter off at college. In the TV show, she is in her 30s, never married with no kids, and quite socially awkward. Interesting choice.
Anyway, I will most likely read the rest of this series next summer, when school is not in session!
Labels: book reports, mysteries
book report: Motherless Brooklyn
Motherless Brooklyn
by Jonathan Lethem
I've read some other books by Jonathan Lethem. And I can see from my previous book reports that I wasn't quite sure how I felt about them. Well, I finally found a Lethem book that I liked.
Lionel Essrog is a self-taught private investigator with a raging case of Tourette's Syndrome. He's also the narrator of this book, which makes for a very interesting read. I found Lethem's portrayal of Lionel's disorder to be completely believable and compelling. The title of the story comes from Lionel's childhood - he is an orphan who lived at a "school for boys" with other orphans. Lionel and a few of his classmates take up with an older guy, Frank Minna, who uses them for (really) odd jobs and eventually drags them into his world of petty crime, under the cover story of running a car service. (They answer the phones, "No cars!") Minna refers to the boys collectively as "motherless Brooklyn." When Minna is murdered, Lionel decides to investigate his death and try to take revenge on the killer. This wild goose chase takes him from the hospital to a zendo to the Maine coast, ticcing madly the entire time.
The plot of the story is not very complex, and you'll probably figure out the whodunnit before Lionel does. But that's not really the point of the book - the point is the glinting, kaleidescopic view into Lionel's freaky brain. And that is worth the read.
by Jonathan Lethem
I've read some other books by Jonathan Lethem. And I can see from my previous book reports that I wasn't quite sure how I felt about them. Well, I finally found a Lethem book that I liked.
Lionel Essrog is a self-taught private investigator with a raging case of Tourette's Syndrome. He's also the narrator of this book, which makes for a very interesting read. I found Lethem's portrayal of Lionel's disorder to be completely believable and compelling. The title of the story comes from Lionel's childhood - he is an orphan who lived at a "school for boys" with other orphans. Lionel and a few of his classmates take up with an older guy, Frank Minna, who uses them for (really) odd jobs and eventually drags them into his world of petty crime, under the cover story of running a car service. (They answer the phones, "No cars!") Minna refers to the boys collectively as "motherless Brooklyn." When Minna is murdered, Lionel decides to investigate his death and try to take revenge on the killer. This wild goose chase takes him from the hospital to a zendo to the Maine coast, ticcing madly the entire time.
The plot of the story is not very complex, and you'll probably figure out the whodunnit before Lionel does. But that's not really the point of the book - the point is the glinting, kaleidescopic view into Lionel's freaky brain. And that is worth the read.
Labels: book reports, mysteries
Saturday, June 17, 2006
book report: Shadow of the Wind
Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I had never heard of this book before my friend E* included it in a box of gifts she mailed me. E* has an unusual talent for selecting gifts for me despite the fact that we've only seen each other once in the past 10 years, and that I clearly do not hold up my end of the gift-giving exchange nearly as well! So when I discovered this novel in the box, I figured she knew what she was doing.
And wow, did she ever. I was rivted by the story - it opens with our narrator Daniel, a young boy at the time, awakening from a nightmare. His father, a bookseller, decides to comfort him by taking him to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, where Daniel chooses an obscure novel by author Julian Carax to treasure as his own.
From there, the story quickly becomes more complex and convoluted. I thought at the beginning that it would be a novel of self-discovery, but it develops into more of a mystery and adventure than I expected. There are innumerable twists and turns. I had trouble putting it down, even at work. In fact, my coworkers at The Home teased me for holding the book with one hand and trying to eat my lunch with the other.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though Ruiz Zafon has any other books out, at least not in English. I would be happy to discover that I am wrong!
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I had never heard of this book before my friend E* included it in a box of gifts she mailed me. E* has an unusual talent for selecting gifts for me despite the fact that we've only seen each other once in the past 10 years, and that I clearly do not hold up my end of the gift-giving exchange nearly as well! So when I discovered this novel in the box, I figured she knew what she was doing.
And wow, did she ever. I was rivted by the story - it opens with our narrator Daniel, a young boy at the time, awakening from a nightmare. His father, a bookseller, decides to comfort him by taking him to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, where Daniel chooses an obscure novel by author Julian Carax to treasure as his own.
From there, the story quickly becomes more complex and convoluted. I thought at the beginning that it would be a novel of self-discovery, but it develops into more of a mystery and adventure than I expected. There are innumerable twists and turns. I had trouble putting it down, even at work. In fact, my coworkers at The Home teased me for holding the book with one hand and trying to eat my lunch with the other.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though Ruiz Zafon has any other books out, at least not in English. I would be happy to discover that I am wrong!
Labels: book reports, mysteries
Sunday, June 11, 2006
book report: The No. One Ladies' Detective Agency
The No. One Ladies' Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith
This book was utterly charming. I'd heard so much about it that I thought I would be disappointed, but I wasn't.
Precious Ramotswe is a woman from Botswana who decides to start her own business as a private investigator after the death of her beloved father. She investigates cases, makes some new friends, and even has a little romance. She doesn't have a lot of formal education, but does have a great deal of common sense and courage, which make her a success in her new line of work.
This is the first book in a series - I will definitely read the rest.
by Alexander McCall Smith
This book was utterly charming. I'd heard so much about it that I thought I would be disappointed, but I wasn't.
Precious Ramotswe is a woman from Botswana who decides to start her own business as a private investigator after the death of her beloved father. She investigates cases, makes some new friends, and even has a little romance. She doesn't have a lot of formal education, but does have a great deal of common sense and courage, which make her a success in her new line of work.
This is the first book in a series - I will definitely read the rest.
Labels: book reports, mysteries
